The 2009 NFL Season! (Archive)

[Master Rudy]

Well it's not up yet but seeing as we're about to start the preseason shortly I figured what better time to get this yearly topic up and running. You guys know the drill. Talk about your favorite team, games each week, ect.

While I like both Cincy and the Jets first and formost I'm a Jets fan. While the blame game can go a million different direction about the way last season ended I must say I was disappointed when Favre retired what I'm thinking to be for good following last season. We had a strong start with him leading and the surprise of Brady being knocked out for the year in the first game. That being said I'm glad the Jets picked up Mark Sanchez in the draft. With Farve retired that was something we were in desperate need for. Hopefully things will turn out very well if Sanchez becomes the starting QB like everyone is thinking.

As for the Bengals I don't really know what to make of them yet. Since their playoff season they've slowly been going downhill. Personally I think Marvin Lewis will be looking at his last season as the head coach if they put out another poor season.

Ok guys.....time to discuss ^_~

EDIT-And no your eyes do not deceive you. I posted in Jets forest green as opposed to my standard orange I use in honor of the Mets. As I said aside from the final games last year the Jets had a nice season I think. Hopefully we'll see the playoffs this year.

[Mr.E]

FOOTBALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLL

loljets

[Bear]

Steelers had the hardest schedule in the league last year and won the Super Bowl. This year they have one of the easiest....

Knowing the Steelers though, they'll find some dumb way to play down to their opponents and not make the SB again. They do have a good shot at going 16-0 though, as their only formidable opponent is the Titans. The Ravens are no longer a threat, the Chargers can be easily shut down, and the rest of the teams don't even merit a mention. My actual prediction for my men in black and gold: 14-2, first seed, win divisional playoff, lose championship game by a small margin. Poor Steelers, I love them for life but they have a knack for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

[Drago]

You're damned skippy the Titans are formidable Bear, and my boys in blue will be more than happy to start the Steelers' season off on a losing note; consider it the rematch that should have happened in the playoffs last year, had it not been for those horrible redzone blunders against the Ravens. Seriously, watching that last pass hit the ground to seal the Titans' defeat was a surreal feeling for me.

But enough about that. All across the boards, the analysts who hadn't considered the Titans a threat before last season began are still dismissing them due to the loss of Albert Haynesworth. Personally, I was more bummed about losing Chris Carr. Yeah I know, Albert can be the most dominant DT in the league. But up until two years ago, he was an inconsistent face-stomper who looked like one of the biggest wasted talents in the league. The d-line is going to suffer, no doubt about that, but give Jason Jones some time to figure out the game and he'll be able to pick up the slack quite nicely.
Besides, Tony Brown is an under-appreciated talent; it's not his fault that the defence fell apart whenever Al was absent. It was just a missing cog causing them strife; now that they'll have a future without that cog, they'll be adjusted accordingly.

Pair that with a stellar outside linebacker duo, a competent Tulloch in the middle, Finnegan the unburnable on one side and an aging but still ok Harper on the other, plus the BEST DAMN SAFETIES IN FOOTBALL, and the analysts will be proven wrong. Again.

What do I predict for the '09 Titans? Not another division title, unfortunately. Not enough wheels have fallen off the Colts' machine yet for them to completely self-destruct; a future without Dungy could be dire, but Mike Tomlin didn't miss a beat after years of Cowher... and besides, even losers like Norv Turner inherit one year's good grace before their coaching futility shines through. The Dolts are bound to hit salary-cap hell soon, but until that time, the Titans will need to simply work their ground game and stay consistent.

Wild-card entry, I call. 11-5 for Tennessee. I'll be happy to be proven wrong however; last year I called 7-9, thinking they would have tailed off a little after an inconsistent 10-6 finish in '07. What I got instead was a division title and the league's best record, plus a franchise-record win streak to open the season. Great stuff.

I'm dreadful at picking Superbowls... Last year, I think I was halfway there; I got Pittsburgh right. This year, I really don't know... I wouldn't be surprised if the Colts somehow snuck their way in (eww), but I won't pick that...

I'll go...
Falcons vs. Patriots

I wasn't actually going to go with the Patriots, but upon reflection, the might of the AFC is really starting to wear down, and other than the Pats, Titans and Steelers, there really isn't anyone in the AFC worth mentioning.

[Master Rudy]

Hmm......with Drago calling the Super Bowl I think I'll do the same. Going off last year I'll say it right now. If the Pats get in not only will I be extremely surprised but I'll also be extremely pissed. Granted being a Jets fan I'm biased but let's look at what happened to Brady last year. For him to be out a whole season you know it was a very serious hit and sometimes it can take awhile to really recover fully off something like that. To this day I'm still surprised that Carson Palmer did as well as he did the year following his playoff injury. In fact I found it funny that he was almost voted Comeback Player of the Year in 2006. When that news broke our local radio announcer even said "Comback? Where'd he go?" lol

In any case based on performances of last year I'll call it and say the Cards and the 'Phins. Arizona was a big surprise last year and if it wasn't for bad playcalling (waits for James and Sarah to bomb him here) I honestly think they would have won. Miami was a big surprise. To go from 1-15 to 11-5 is a big improvement. However this all depends on Chad Pennington. While he's a good QB I was happy to see him leave New York since he tends to be one that crumbles under pressure

[Mr.E]

What you meant to say was the Dallas GREATboys would win the Super Bowl, yes?

Carson Palmer is an extremely overrated P.O.Mediocrity and Pennington is way better than the garbage benchwarmers he left behind in New York. The Jets needed a scapegoat for their underachieving instead of just admitting they sucked. I like Pennington. Not sure why, probably just because nobody ever thinks of him as a good QB when he really is.

Refs had the hardest schedule in the league last year and won the Super Bowl. This year they have one of the easiest....

oh okay thanks for the insight

Of course, the Ravens are more of a threat than they've been in years and there's really no reason to complain about "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory" when your team has won the most Super Bowls.

[Jeff]

The Ravens are still a formidable force. The loss of their defensive coordinator means very little considering the real power behind their awesome defense is still with the team, and his name is Ray Lewis. Sure he's starting to get up there in years, but it's his leadership that's driven the team's defense. Add on to that the fact that Harbaugh and Flacco both have a year's experience under their belts, not to mention the fact that after being defeated three times by the Steelers last year you know they'll be out for blood this time around. So yeah, Rex Ryan or no Rex Ryan the Ravens will certainly pose a threat to the Steelers this season, or anyone else for that matter.

[MToolen]

You see, this is the one sport my city can't get right. Our baseball team is perennially good, even our hockey team has found its niche as the gritty underdog.

But the Rams?

Sigh. I'd rather watch college ball anyway.

[Bear]

Wow MrE, changing the quote around to reflect your own opinion is a classic move. Why do you insist on being ignorant on BOTH boards when it comes to football? You refuse to acknowledge the Steelers for any sort of accomplishment, and always blame any success they have on other factors like reffing or luck or what have you. The only reason you do this is because you hate the Steelers, being a Cowboys fan. You don't see me knocking your 'boys all the time do you? To be honest I think the Cowboys have a legitimate shot at the Super Bowl from the NFC side, if Romo can get settled into a nice groove. As far as my comment about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, I was referring to a few regular season games each year where they manage to lose a game they have no business losing. That goes along with my prediction of them "playing down" to a couple weaker opponents and blowing a would-be easy game.

In response to jeff, I meant in no way to count the Ravens out completely. Ray Lewis, despite playing for my least favorite team, has earned all the respect I can possibly give him for his skill, charisma, and overall contribution to the game. Thought the Ravens defense will still be a good one, I don't think it will be nearly as vicious as last year, as they've not only lost Rex Ryan but Bart Scott and a couple of other players as well. The core is still there though, so we'll see how they fare in their first game against the Steelers. I am certainly looking forward to it, and the rest of the season as well

[Drago]

The officiating was horrible last year, and though the Superbowl isn't very fresh in my mind, I can't recall how most of the officiating was there...

But I will always wonder what would have happened if they hadn't blown the final call of a Kurt Warner fumble. It was an incomplete pass. There's no doubting it. The Cardinals miracle year should have had just one last shot... In any event, history is history, and the Steelers are Superbowl champs. Hurts my old AFC Central heart every time I have to say that.

[Master Rudy]

The officiating was horrible last year, and though the Superbowl isn't very fresh in my mind, I can't recall how most of the officiating was there.

Well it's not the first time that the "Stealers" have won a Super Bowl due to bad play calling. I seem to remember this play from Super bowl 40.

Gotta love Ben's little "Oh the ball was really here over the line!" trick......seriously how in the fuck was that ruled a TD? Better yet that play was challenged and the refs ruled that THE PLAY STANDS! Really guys?

As for the most recent Super Bowl let's not forget gems such as this illegal block. I remember screaming at the TV at the Super Bowl party I was at "I see clipping!" and then getting dumbfounded over the fact that a ref didn't call it. Plus there's a little matter with Holmes being out of bounds as far as the rules are concerned. Both feet have to be down before the ball goes out to be considered a legal catch and not an incomplete pass. Frankly I'm tired of the Steelers fans getting up in arms about this one in paticular and swearing up and down that it was in. Ball is obviously out before Holmes gets his other foot down. Sorry guys......

And finally to end my nice little rant I'm sure we all remember Warner's "fumble" at the end of the game.

Now granted a few bad calls were made against the Steelers as well but the calls that were bad against the Cards were much more numerous and far more gamebreaking. As far as Super Bowl 44 is concerned all I have to say is thank god it's impossible for a Super Bowl between the Pats and the Steelers to occur. I would seriously rake my eyes out with a rusty spoon if it was possible for that to happen and it did X_X

[Mr.E]

Well, expecting victory every game is unrealistic... although it has happened a couple times.

As far as Super Bowl 44 is concerned all I have to say is thank god it's impossible for a Super Bowl between the Pats and the Steelers to occur. I would seriously rake my eyes out with a rusty spoon if it was possible for that to happen and it did X_X

ahahahahahahahaha

[Bear]

Man, you guys really can not let it go. If I remember correctly, the Steelers had a touchdown TAKEN AWAY during Super Bowl XLIII because the officials determined Ben did not in fact make it in. If you're going to talk about officiating, don't just highlight the calls that went FOR the Steelers and not the ones that went AGAINST them. There were some dubious calls that went in the Cardinals' favor as well, like the phantom pass interference call that extended their drive and allowed them to score instead of it being fourth and long.

Conspiracy theories bother me because they inherently omit important information in order to suit the person's argument. It's like when a person says "I hate how African Americans are treated in this company" and their quote gets warped into "I hate...African Americans". You can't blame Super Bowl XLIII on the officiating, I am sorry. Yes we know Kurt Warner didn't really fumble it. Even if they had another shot, it would still have been a hail mary. The chances of it succeeding, even with a weapon like Larry Fitzgerald, are very low when the opposing team knows exactly what's coming. I doubt another shot at a touchdown would have changed the outcome. As for your illegal block, he hit the guy in the side, not the back. Holmes' TD? Please, nobody is more qualified to judge "possession" than the next person. The opposition says his right foot was a half inch off the ground when he gained possession. Others say his foot was still on the ground when he got possession. There's no way to 100% prove it either way, so why tote the conspiracy theory? Because people are sore losers and wanted the underdog Cards to win after their glorious run. They didn't, sorry. I am really tired of football fans who knock on a team just because they're good. I am a Steelers fan, and I have been my whole life. But I do my best in every argument to be fair. There's such a thing called "respect", and I wish more people would learn it. I hate the Patriots with a fiery passion, but I don't go back and nitpick their super bowl wins, picking out all the bad calls the referees made. They won, and that's that. So did the Steelers. Get over it please...

[Ultimate Charizard]

I need to get you guys more interested in Rugby League lol

[Master Rudy]

I think you missed the part where I did admit that some bad calls where made on both sides of the ball James. I do admit that as a semi-Bengals fan that I am slightly biased but I do assure you I'd be making this arguement if it happened the other way around or with any other team for that matter. If the Jets had been playing instead of the Steelers and the game unfolded the exact same way we'd have a Super Bowl but I'd still be saying the same thing. I love my Jets to death but I'd be saying that we robbed the Cards.

I've been as fair as I can in this one but I will point something out. What's your take on the Harrison situation where he did this?

[Bear]

I was disgusted, quite frankly. You should have seen me yelling at the TV when it happened, I was like "WHAT THE [expletive] YOU DUMB PIECE OF [expletive] GET YOUR [expletive] HEAD IN THE GAME!!!"

TBH I felt he should have gotten punished more than he did. There is no excuse for that kind of behavior, no matter how good you are.

[Master Rudy]

Got to give you more credit than some other Steelers fans then bro. I've actually talked to people who said he didn't hit him hard enough :-/

[Bear]

Got to give you more credit than some other Steelers fans then bro. I've actually talked to people who said he didn't hit him hard enough :-/

Haha, being a Steelers fan doesn't make me an idiot. My players are not above the rules, and I don't make excuses for them when they screw up or behave badly. You should have heard some of the things I said about Ben after the motorcycle accident XD

[Wergoheb]

A Jets/Bengals fan?

...It's been a bad decade for you, huh?

[Master Rudy]

A Jets/Bengals fan?

...It's been a bad decade for you, huh?

Hey it could be much worse. I could be a Lions fan ^_~
Sure the 2000's haven't been great overall but at least both teams at least saw the playoffs once each during this decade that's been downright dominated by the "Stealers" and "Cheatriots"

[Bear]

GO BUNGLES!

[Ultimate Charizard]

See, my Hometown Rugby club are called the Tigers so naturally id like to be a Bengals fan since i have no ties to any particular team. Shame they suck.

Btw, does anyone know who's playing this years Wembley game?

[Jeff]

Pats vs. Bucs

[Telume]

The Dolphins are meh... I don't really see them doing too much better from last season. All I know is, if I wanted to I could go to games for free since my dad works at the stadium

Not that it matters much to me really, I'm not a Gridiron fan.

[Roy Karrde]

Known dog killer signs 2 year deal with the Eagles.

Jesus if the rest of the NFC East needed a reason to hate the Eagles ~.^

I may actually see if I can buy tickets to the game at Jerry World, just to see the circus PETA will set up at the first Cowboys vs Eagles game.

[Drago]

Philly fans boo SANTA. First Vick pick, he'll be eaten alive!! What are they hoping for, a more agile, worse passer fallback for McNabb? One year away from football, Pacman turned into a hack. Two years behind bars could be insurmountable for a man who was incosistent to begin with.

[Clark]

Woooo I'll be sporting a Vick jersey. Even though I'm a Raiders fan, Eagle country is wack.

[Master Rudy]

Known dog killer signs 2 year deal with the Eagles.

Jesus if the rest of the NFC East needed a reason to hate the Eagles ~.^

I may actually see if I can buy tickets to the game at Jerry World, just to see the circus PETA will set up at the first Cowboys vs Eagles game.

Well anyone that knows me knows how vocal I was about what Vick did and while I can never 100% forgive him I'm willing to adopt a wait and see stance. My main reason behind it is after reading the transcripts of his 60 Minutes interview as well as comments by Reid, McNabb and even Art Blank I'm kinda curious to see where this will go not as a Vick fan but as a football fan. Call me stupid but it seems like he's sincere in how sorry he is and that he knows about how lucky he is to have a second chance. Besides while what he did is horrible there have been NFL Players who got back into the game after doing far worse. I'm not saying running a dog fighting ring is a good thing by any means. Just merely pointing out some players did far worse than him.

And on a note unrelated to the NFL it's a known fact that PETA is a little bit crazy. If they show up at any NFL games this year they'll be making it more of a circus than it needs to be.

[Clark]

Rudy's sig picture is all I can do after reading Favre signed with the Vikings for another year. Yet again coming out of retirement. luls

[Drago]

Holy hell, so he really did it... Damn, now I've gotta figure out how to get my damned Xbox online so I can get the Vick/Favre Madden patch... Old Brett never did make it easy for me, did he?

I wonder if this means John Madden will come back, too?

[Master Rudy]

Dammit Brett! lol
As a fan I for one am excited to see him coming back but this kinda splits my loyalties a little more XD
I always liked seeing him play when I could get the chance and in years where Cincy and the NY Jets didn't make it was fun to see what the Packers would do. Granted I never followed them overly much and aside from Favre and a player here and there I couldn't name anyone on the team XD
Needless to say I was excited to see him with the Jets. Kinda sad he isn't coming back to New York but at his age I can understand why he does this year in year out with the will he or won't he thing. Following last year he learned that he's actually been playing several years with a torn rotator cuff that he didn't even know about (hence the surgery). That right there goes to show how tough he really is to play that long on that. In any case as for the Vikings I guess I'm now going to need to keep an occassional eye on them lol

[Master Rudy]

Well with season now in full swing I feel it's time to revive the topic. Here's the scores and some notable news items for you guys to look over.


Thursday, September 10th
Tennessee Titans-10
Pittsburgh Steelers-13

Sunday, September 13th
Miami Dolphins-7
Atlanta Falcons-19

Denver Broncos-12
Cincinnati Bengals-7

Minnesota Vikings-34
Cleveland Browns-20

Jacksonville Jaguars-12
Indianapolis Colts-14

Detroit Lions-27
New Orleans Saints-45 (Let's be honest.....is a Lions loss a big surprise?)

Dallas Cowboys-34
Tampa Bay Buccaneers-21

Philadelphia Eagles-38
Carolina Panthers-10

Kansas City Chiefs-24
Baltimore Ravens-38

New York Jets-24 (GO GANG GREEN! ^_^)
Houston Texans-7

Washington Redskins-17
New York Giants-23

San Francisco 49ers-20
Arizona Cardinals-16

St. Louis Rams-0
Seattle Seahawks-28

Chicago Bears-15
Green Bay Packers-21

Monday, September 14
Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots (7 PM EDT)
San Diego Chargers at Oakland Raiders (10:15 PM EDT)


MR's News of Note
Here's three items I've labeled as newsworthy this week in regards to the NFL. These can be anything from how a person played, injuries that may affect the season as a whole, off field antics, ect.

-Sanchez wins first game, leads the Jets to 1-0
Mark Sanchez showed why the Jets were so eager to trade up in the 2009 NFL Draft in order to get him. Good old Broadway Joe Namath himself was on hand to give the rookie a pep talk prior to the game. In my eyes the kid was almost flawless in his first official NFL game against the Texans. Sanchez went 18/31 for 272 yards, 1 TD and an interception. The touchdown was a wide open pass to Stuckey who then took it 30 yards for the score. This win makes Sanchez the fourth rookie starting QB since the AFL/NFL merger to win an opening day away game. The Jets have an undefeated all time record against the Texans (4-0).

-McNabb injured with rib fracture
Well this isn't really the way to be starting the season. In his first game Donovan McNabb has fractured one of his ribs in the game against the Panthers. Due to Vick still being suspended until week three the game was finished by Kevin Kolb. Coach Andy Reid seems hopeful that McNabb might play in the upcoming game against the Saints barring more test results. It should be intresting to see how this affects the whole situation with Michael Vick in the event that McNabb winds up being sidelined for a few weeks.

-Madden Curse strikes again!
It was only a matter of time for those of us that believe in it......
Troy Polamalu becomes the latest victim due to a sprained MCL. As for Larry Fitzgerald I'm gonna start up a pool and take bets on when you guys think he'll be next ^_~


Feel free to bring up your own news stories if you guys want. That's what the topic is here for. I'll have week one standings posted once the remaining games are over and done with.

[Bear]

lol bengals

[Drago]

Thursday night's game is never to be spoken of. For his support of the enemy, Bear will be taken to a concentration camp. lol, in all seriousness Titans, EXECUTE. Too many points left on the field, just like our last real game...

I think Seattle isn't as good as they appear to be; three turnovers in the first half is concerning. St Louis is just a miserable excuse for a football team.

Only watched the first quarter of Bears/Pack so far, and those three straight passes in the hands of Packers from Jay Cutler weren't pretty. Collinsworth may blame receivers, but honestly... Three times in a row?

Panthers live and die with Delhomme. ...Four picks and they're dead. Seriously Panthers, grab Garcia for insurance! On that note, I said at one point that Denver should pick up Jeffy... A fluke win by Orton could prolong Kyle's career.

[Mr.E]

Got that thing TiVoed or something? Cutler didn't do a whole lot better than JOKE DELOLMME.

[Master Rudy]

lol Polamalu
See James? I can do that too ^_~

[Drago]

Got that thing TiVoed or something?

VHS, baby!! lol

[Bear]

pLOLamalu!

At least he's not out for the season. And to be honest I felt bad for the bungles, they should have won that game.

[Master Rudy]

pLOLamalu!

At least he's not out for the season. And to be honest I felt bad for the bungles, they should have won that game.

Seems to be the recurring theme in many of the games that Cincy tends to lose :-/

[kainashi]

anyone think the lions will beat the record for most consecutive losses (26)? i don't see them winning any of their games before the bye week and MAYBE they could win after at the rams but i don't know.